Vehicle-thill support



(No Model.)

E. W. SWEENY & I. WOMER.

VEHICLE THILL SUPPORT. No. 341,820.

Patented May 11, 1886.

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l l l CiEu VEHlCLE THILL SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 34:1,820, dated May 11., 1886.

Application filed January 16,1886. Serial No. 188,775. (No modohl To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ENOOH XV. SWEENY and ISAAC l'VoMER, citizens of the United States, residing at Boalsburg,in the county of Centre and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

()ur invention relates to devices permanently applied to carriages for the support of the thills, but contrived to disengage when desired, so that the thills may be lowered to the ground, and its objects are, first, to provide a simple attachment the operative parts of which shall be automatically engaged or disengaged at the will of the operator by vertically raising the thills; and, second, to provide an attachment which is vertically extensible to adapt it for use on vehicles differing in proportions of parts. iVe attain. these objects by means of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the thillsupport applied to a vehicle as shown in use. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the thill-support proper. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of the body of the same. Fig. i is a crosssection of the same. Fig. 5 is a partly sectional view illustrating the operation of the device.

Similar letters referto similar parts throughout the several views.

The letters S S indicate a metal upright or standard, which is attached to the center of the forward portion of the head-block of a carriage, (or, in side-bar or side-spring carriages, to the front bolster) by means of screws passing through its bifurcated lower end.

In order to admit of its vertical extension or adjustment the standard is made in two parts, the lower or main part, S, being in the form of a hollow semi-cylinder, and the other or upper part, S, being cylindrical and adapted to fit easily in the hollow of the part S, as shown. The body or part S has a vertical slot, (1, to receive a screw-bolt, b, that passes through the part S, Fig. 4, and serves to secure said p arts in any adjustment. The object of making the standard thus extensible is to adapt the device for use on different vehicles, for the curvature of their thills is not all uniform, and the cross-bar is placed farther forward on some than on others. The upper or extensible portion, S, of the standard is bent forward near its top to a horizontal position, and the portion so bent is vertically bifurcated. From the extremity of this horizontal. portion depends the gravitycatch g, at tached by means of a rivet, which will in practice be covered with leather or rubber to prevent rattling, and also provided with leather or rubber washers for the same purpose.

The gravity-catch g has a notch in its lower end, to adapt it to engage with the loop or staple Z, which is attached by means of screws to the under side of the crossbar 0, connecting the thills.

The loop Z is preferably made of the form shown in the drawings, but may be made in the form of an ordinary staple and driven into the cross-bar c.

XVhen it is desired to hold the thills in an elevated position, they are raised until the loop 9, forces it backward and upward, and, passing still farther back, allows the catch to fall, so as to engage the loop, as shown in full lines, Fig. 5. The parts are held in the position thus attained by the weight of the thills, which remain elevated in the desired manner, as illustrated in Fig. 1. hen it is desired to lower the thills to the ground, they are simply raised a little higher, thus forcing the loop Z back out of engagement with the gravitycatch, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 5, when said catch drops down to its normal pendent position, thus allowing the loop to move forward without hinderance.

\Vhat we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The extensible vehicle-thill support, consisting of the following parts, to wit, first, the standard made in two parts, S and S, the part S being attached in a fixed vertical position to the front of a vehicle, and the part S having its upper end projecting forward, as shown, and being adapted for vertical adj ustment on the part S by means of the screw-bolt 1) working through the slot at and secured by the nut a; and, second, the swinging or gravity catch 9, pivoted to the adjustable part S of the standard and swinging free therefrom, and having its lower end notched to admit of its automatic engagement and disengagement Z pressing against lthe pendent gravity-catch by a loop or staple attached to the thills, as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the standard adapted for attachment to avehicle-front, and whose npperendproj ects forward, as specified, of a gravity-cateh pivoted to the latter and swinging free therefrom, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the loop or staple Z, attached to the thills, with the standard S S, attached to the front of a vehicle, and whose upper end projects forward, as shown and described, and the swinging or gravity catch 9,

pivoted to the latter, as specified, and having its lower end notched to adapt it for the re- 15 quired engagement and disengagement, substantially as shown, and for the purpose de scribed.

E. WV. SVEENY. ISAAC \VOMER.

Vitnesses:

L. S. BRIOKER, MARTIN GRovE, J r, 

